Spain Pledges €1 Billion in Military Aid During Zelenskiy Visit
(Bloomberg) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sealed a security agreement with Spain that involves €1 billion ($1.1 billion) in military supplies this year to aid Kyiv’s war effort.
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Spain will deliver weapons and munitions to Ukraine, including missiles for Patriot air-defense batteries deployed in the country, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said during a joint briefing in Madrid on Monday.
“The most important thing is to help Ukraine as quickly as possible,” Sanchez said. “That is what Spain is doing.”
Zelenskiy urged allies to force Russia to seek peace “by all means” as he welcomed Spain’s deliveries of Patriot equipment and ammunition. Ukraine needs at least seven more Patriot systems to ensure basic protection from Russian jets dropping an average of 3,000 glide bombs a month.
Spain’s weapons package this year will be the largest single contingent of military aid provided to another country by Madrid, El Pais newspaper reported earlier. In addition to the missiles, it will include 19 Leopard battle tanks and other weapons manufactured in Spain, the paper said.
The aim is to deliver the first 10 Leopards by the end of June along with the missiles and additional ammunition, El Pais added.
Sanchez said he’d push for the “broadest possible participation” of countries at next month’s summit meeting in Switzerland aimed at moving forward Ukraine’s peace blueprint. As the gathering risks being downgraded by no-shows and a rival plan, European Union officials are seeking a face-saving outcome next month.
For the 27-member bloc, the important issue is how to progress from next month’s conference to a possible meeting in Saudi Arabia in the autumn with the participation of Russia, according to officials familiar with the discussions.
Zelenskiy will travel on to Portugal, where he’ll meet with Prime Minister Luis Montenegro on Tuesday, the premier’s office said.
--With assistance from Thomas Gualtieri and Henrique Almeida.
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